Friday, March 7, 2014

One of my alternate forks/builds of the game has the lighting crashing in it.
For some reason, the lighting fails to properly initialize when reg-recs are put into a level.
Figure out why.
Also, Signed up for MochiBot.
Going to get some analytic into the game so I can survey my testers.
// MochiBot.com -- Version 8
// Tested with Flash 9-10, ActionScript 3
MochiBot.track(this, "STUFFksjfljsf");
Also: This guy has made good edits to MochiBot from what I gather.
Though I am new to this, but I am coming back here later once I have set up Mochibot and done some
test runs.
http://philprogramming.blogspot.com/
-MakeGamesHappen
(-John Mark)

So, I think I should make a blog dedicated to my bad reviews.
I say this because I do need hyper critical feedback to keep the game at a certain level of excellence.
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Not good. All you do is move around, and you've got this whole bomberman tribute aesthetic to work with? Seriously?
You should rework your entire focus, man. I mean, the whole "fragile character running about to the exit in a small level" is so overdone and boring... and executed far better than here. I mean, all you have is switches and spamming fixed bombs everywhere. You need to stop that. It gets dull real fast. This is not puzzling at all for one, and the lack of variety results in levels that are just more of the same thing, and that's lame. And glaringly when large objects fall they don't do so properly. They stutter. STUTTER! As they are falling! Do you know how amateurish that looks?
Here's where I think you should go: make it more a bomberman tribute. Have your character be able to place bombs. Make things more destructible as a result. Have chain reaction destruction, sure, you can go over the top with the feedback. In fact, I encourage it. But don't allow it to act as a "yay level solved just like that - just head on through to the exit buddy". Have the player struggle to MAKE HIS OWN PATH through whatever scenario he is in as much as possible. If you do that you won't be stuck with the problem of levels being designed around one obvious solution and as a result your game will be more PUZZLING and therefore more INTERESTING. Include live elements that the player can manipulate (and bait) to their advantage, like enemies that walk around and also shoot bombs when you are near them, enemies that run up to you and are bombs and will suicide explode onto you, and turrets that you can destroy. The more the player is allowed to manipulate the environment, the more fun you can make your game.
It's good that you are trying to make things visceral with the lighting effects but that's not enough. Ramp it up to sensory overload. Have a dynamic camera that zooms in and out and shakes in regards to explosions like in Tankman: Incursion: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/493636 In fact, take into account the graphics of that game as well. Exaggerated pixelation is not good pixel art. You really really need to improve your graphics everywhere.
Make it so that the environment around you is more animated. A good place to start is to look at how megaman executes animated tiles. Have a background, not just an abstract space. Ideally, set the aesthetic in a clean futuristic city that ends up getting wrecked with destruction as the player provides onslaught against everything in his way. Provide indoor and outdoor environments that are larger than single screen rooms. Have parallax scrolling where necessary and do not have generic exits: again, look at how megaman does progression. Levels ideally require the player to fight through in all manner of directions, not just progressing right. You make it clear where the player has to go through a combination of aesthetic elements. Ramp up the gore. I like how blood stains the walls. Have a nice gory explosion rather than a lame zoom in and fade to black. Provide satisfaction from killing enemies with explosions and blood and gore as well.
Get rid of the "obnoxious attitude" completely. It doesn't help you AT ALL and never will. I'm talking about death taunts, lame humour and whatever gets in the way of being badass. Also, have more business sense and be more ambitious than merely looking for sponsorship.
This is what I think you should do to take what you have so far and make a hit title. It's up to you whatever you want to do, because I understand that what I said requires a lot of work and expertise. I have said all I have to say on this project.